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Oh My... What a Whippet!

Maybe they should call her a whoppet - after all, she's a whopper of a whippet.

This is Wendy, the dog whose appearance is a long way from the usual long, lean and sleek look of her breed.

Beware: Wendy on the prowl

She was born with a genetic defect which has left her looking like the Incredible Hulk of Hounds.

While her head, heart, lungs and legs are the size of those of a normal whippet, her gene defect means she is "double muscled".

She weighs 4st4lb - twice as much as she should - and has bulging neck muscles, burly shoulders and haunches like a baboon. And unlike ordinary whippets known for their lithe and narrow frame, this four-year-old pedigree doesn't just have a sixpack stomach, she has a 24-pack.

The Incredible Hulk: The dog made of muscle

Sadly, her mixed-up genes mean she may have a shorter life expectancy than most breeds.

But while she may look oddly menacing, her doting owner Ingrid Hansen claims the giant pooch likes nothing better than clambering up on to your lap to have her back scratched.

The whippet, who lives on a farm in Victoria, Canada, has been the subject of an American genetics study. Although the dogs are customarily bred for hunting, racing and showing, Wendy enjoys a slower pace of life.

She spends her days prowling around the fields, chasing other dogs and horses and sleeping on her owner's bed.

holy batcrap! I have to admit I had a giggle at the photos, I've never heard of the condition! I bet she's a big (scuse the pun) softie, and despite that body, look at how her coat shines! She's certainly being looked after well.

I remember seeing a show a while ago with cows that were being farmed with this mutation in *I think* England to produce more meat.
They were massive looking animals, but aparently the meat wasn't great.